Cushioning devices for freight containers or road trailers loaded on rail cars are known in the art. Two examples are the skeleton car with long travel cushion characteristics for transporting freight containers disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,251,314 and the long travel cushioning arrangement for crane lift freight containers disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,167,028. A third example is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,957,399, "A method for cushioning a containerized shipment by railroad flatcar". However all of the cushioning features shown in these patents are intended to be permanently fixed to the load carrier--so as to take advantage of the structural strength of the frame work in the load carrier. The existing designs are generally incorporated in the load carrier and not attached through the ordinary container locks on the load carrier as taught by the flatrack according to the invention. Accordingly, the conventional cushioning devices cannot be mounted and dismounted as quickly or easily as the flatrack of the invention. Further these permanently fixed devices result in logistical problems, since they travel with the load carrier rather than the route of a specific cargo container which requires special protection from longitudinal shocks during the time of its transport.
Further, the conventionally used freight container of the ISO 20 foot or 40 foot type have hollow castings in both top and bottom corners for respective lifting or locking of the container, from or to, a load carrier. The transverse and longitudinal distance between the centers of the lock receiving holes along the length and width of the containers is always the same, regardless of whether the container is 96 inch, 2,5 meter or 102 inch wide. The longitudinal distance between the center of the holes is such that the two 20 foot containers fit into one 40 foot container space of an ISO load carrier and two 20 foot containers can use the 40 foot container locking points.
To accommodate these conventionally used ISO containers, all ISO container load carriers are equipped with one of two types of locks for securing the containers to the carriers.
One type is the pedestal lock that has the shape of a 90 degree curb with a floor that the container corner slots into. Consequently, the container corner must always be placed inside the pedestal. The other type is the spigot type of lock that goes inside the corner casting on the container which both positions and locks the container to the carrier. With this lock, different widths and lengths of containers with the ISO standard locking points, can be locked.
The invention is directed to an cargo carrying flatrack cushioning device which overcomes the problems of prior art devices permanently fixed to its load carrier and and also accommodates conventional shipping containers and ISO vehicular load carriers on which such containers are transported.